Akiridion Wildlife: Stelgids

The stelgid is a quadrupedal predator native to Akiridion Prime, renowned for their popularity in the serratorial games. Although they have no eyes, they rely heavily on their extremely developed sense of smell and their whiskers which sense vibrations and heat. They have a powerful bite, and razor sharp claws. 

Stelgids are primarily solitary creatures, roaming a territory that covers large areas. They reproduce through parthenogenesis, having one to two whelps every two keltons. While their young are small, they’re carried in the rear facing pouch. By two keltons they’ve reached full adulthood, and move on to territory of their own. Due to how little time it takes to reach maturity, they often are a pest animal among more rural communities on Akiridion Prime.  

One could liken them to the big cats of Earth, as they often produce purring calls caused by the vibration of specific structures in their nasal cavities. Used as both identifying calls to their whelps and to attempt to prevent fighting when crossing territories. As they are extremely aggressive, cannibalism and fights are very common. They’re also often hunted by ibleak, which swoop from above to catch them by surprise due to them having limited ability to perceive a flying threat.